Real-time indicator of global trade

ABSTRACT

A real-time indicator of global trade can be generated. The real-time indicator provides a comprehensive indicator of the current global economic state by tracking current values for the available capacity for freight shipments as well as the volume of actual shipments. The capacity and volume can be tracked over multiple different transportation modes including sea, air, and rail. The real-time indicator is generated in real-time based on these current values. The real-time indicator can therefore provide investors, analysts, researchers, bankers, and the like with a reliable indicator of the current global economic state that is not heavily influenced by the biasing sentiments of individuals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

Macroeconomic data such as trade balances and worldwide exports arebased on past data and are published with a considerable time lag. Manytypes of macroeconomic data are generated using a trend following systemthat tracks trends in historical data. Therefore, current macroeconomicdata only represents a previous economic state.

Additionally, many indicators of economic state are only relevant to aparticular zone or country while others are only relevant to aparticular industry or trade. Other indicators are based heavily on thesentiment of individuals (e.g. stock market indices, sentiment indices,diffusion indices, etc.), but are not directly tied to the globaleconomic state. Current macroeconomic data and indicators therefore failto provide reliable information regarding the global economic state.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer programproducts for generating a real-time indicator of global trade. Thereal-time indicator provides a comprehensive indicator of the currentglobal economic state by tracking current values for the availablecapacity for freight shipments as well as the volume of actualshipments. The capacity and volume can be tracked over multipledifferent transportation modes including sea, air, and rail. Thereal-time indicator is generated in real-time based on these currentvalues. The real-time indicator can therefore provide investors,analysts, researchers, bankers, and the like with a reliable indicatorof the current global economic state that is not heavily influenced bythe biasing sentiments of individuals.

In one embodiment, the present invention is implemented as a method forgenerating a real-time indicator of global trade. One or more capacitymetrics are received. The one or more capacity metrics represent freightcapacity for a first type of freight during a first time period. One ormore volume metrics are also received. The one or more volume metricsrepresent freight volume for the first type of freight during the firsttime period. A first capacity component is generated based on the one ormore capacity metrics. A first volume component is also generated basedon the one or more volume metrics. The first capacity component and thefirst volume component are combined to generate the real-time indicatorof global trade. Then, the real-time indicator of global trade istransmitted to another computing system.

In some embodiments, the one or more capacity metrics and the one ormore volume metrics can represent the capacity and volume of seafreight, air freight, or rail freight during the first time period.

In embodiments where the first type of freight comprises sea freight,the one or more capacity metrics may comprise one or more of grosstonnage, gross tonnage kilometers, number of departures, or speed, andthe one or more volume metrics may comprise one or more of twenty-footunits, number of shipments, shipment kilometers, or draft.

In embodiments were the first type of freight comprises air freight, theone or more capacity metrics may comprise one or more of availablefreight tonnage, available freight tonnage kilometers, and a number ofdepartures, and the one or more volume metrics comprise one or more of anumber of shipments, chargeable weight, and chargeable weightkilometers.

In some embodiments, the real-time indicator of global trade may begenerated by combining capacity and volume components for two or more ofsea freight, air freight, and rail freight. In some embodiments, aneconomic sentiment component may also be combined to generate thereal-time indicator.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the invention can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the invention briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not thereforeto be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will bedescribed and explained with additional specificity and detail throughthe use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing environment in which the presentinvention can be implemented; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for generating areal-time indicator of global trade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer programproducts for generating a real-time indicator of global trade. Thereal-time indicator provides a comprehensive indicator of the currentglobal economic state by tracking current values for the availablecapacity for freight shipments as well as the volume of actualshipments. The capacity and volume can be tracked over multipledifferent transportation modes including sea, air, and rail. Thereal-time indicator is generated in real-time based on these currentvalues. The real-time indicator can therefore provide investors,analysts, researchers, bankers, and the like with a reliable indicatorof the current global economic state that is not heavily influenced bythe biasing sentiments of individuals.

Embodiments of the present invention may comprise or utilize specialpurpose or general-purpose computers including computer hardware, suchas, for example, one or more processors and system memory, as discussedin greater detail below. Embodiments within the scope of the presentinvention also include physical and other computer-readable media forcarrying or storing computer-executable instructions and/or datastructures. Such computer-readable media can be any available media thatcan be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system.

Computer-readable media is categorized into two disjoint categories:computer storage media and transmission media. Computer storage media(devices) include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, solid state drives (“SSDs”)(e.g., based on RAM), Flash memory, phase-change memory (“PCM”), othertypes of memory, other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other similarly storage mediumwhich can be used to store desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Transmissionmedia include signals and carrier waves.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which, when executed by a processor, cause a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing deviceto perform a certain function or group of functions. The computerexecutable instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediateformat instructions such as assembly language or P-Code, or even sourcecode.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in network computing environments with many types of computersystem configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers,laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones,PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers, switches, and the like.

The invention may also be practiced in distributed system environmentswhere local and remote computer systems, which are linked (either byhardwired data links, wireless data links, or by a combination ofhardwired and wireless data links) through a network, both performtasks. In a distributed system environment, program modules may belocated in both local and remote memory storage devices. An example of adistributed system environment is a cloud of networked servers or serverresources. Accordingly, the present invention can be hosted in a cloudenvironment.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computer environment 100 in which thepresent invention can be implemented. Computer environment 100 includesa server system 101, a plurality of source systems 102 a-102 n, and oneor more networks 103. Network 103, in a typical implementation, canrepresent the internet over which server system 101 receives informationfrom source systems 102 a-102 n. However, network 103 can also encompassone or more local networks such as when server system 101 has a localconnection to one or more of source systems 102 a-102 n. In short,server system 101 can be connected to and receive information fromsource systems 102 a-102 n using any type of network connection.

Server system 101 represents the computing components and architectureemployed to obtain information from source systems 102 a-102 n and togenerate a real-time indicator from such information. Server system 101can therefore represent a single computing device, multipleinteroperating computing devices, or a cloud-based system. Although notdepicted, server system 101 can be connected to one or more clientcomputing systems (e.g. via the internet) to enable server system 101 toprovide the real-time indicator to the client computing systems. Serversystem 101 can provide access to the real-time indicator in any suitableway as is known in the art.

Source systems 102 a-102 n can represent any computing device or systemwith which server system 101 can communicate to receive information thatcan be used to generate the real-time indicator. As will be furtherdescribed below, source systems 102 a-102 n can include systems thatprovide information regarding the capacity and volume of atransportation means such as the capacity and volume of sea vessels,aircraft, trains, etc. In some embodiments, source systems 102 a-102 ncan also include one or more servers that provide information regardingthe growth of businesses including job offers made by businesses.

Server system 101 can be configured to obtain information from sourcesystems 102 a-102 n on a continual basis. For example, server system 101can query one or more of source systems 102 a-102 n on a continual basissuch as every minute, every hour, every day, etc. Server system 101 canstore the information obtained from source systems 102 a-102 n so thatinformation obtained over a duration of time can be aggregated togenerate the real-time indicator (e.g., as a moving average). In thisspecification, a seven day (168 hours or 10,080 minutes) moving averagewill generally be used as an example for generating the real-timeindicator; however, other durations could equally be used.

Server system 101 can generate a real-time indicator from a plurality ofcomponents. The components used to generate a particular instance of areal-time indicator can be selected from the following: a sea freightcapacity component; a sea freight volume component; an air freightcapacity component, an air freight volume component; a rail freightcapacity component; a rail freight volume component; and an economicsentiment component. In some embodiments, server system 101 may generatea real-time indicator based on only two of these components. In otherembodiments, server system 101 may generate a real-time indicator basedon more than two components including all of the components.

Each component can be generated based on information obtained fromsource systems 102 a-102 n. This information may be obtained (orupdated) at the same frequency or at different frequencies, andtherefore, each component may be updated at the same frequency or at adifferent frequency. Regardless of the frequency at which eachindividual component is updated, the real-time indicator generated fromtwo or more of the components can be updated on a rolling basis asdescribed above such as by using a moving average of the components. Insome embodiments, the average may be a weighted average.

In some embodiments, one or more of source systems 102 a-102 n fromwhich sea freight information is obtained can be an AutomaticIdentification System (AIS). The AIS is a tracking system that most seavessels are required to employ for reporting various types ofinformation about the vessel. This information includes an identifierand type of the vessel, its position, course, speed, and destination,its estimated time of arrival, its draft (or draught)—a measure of thevertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull, andits gross tonnage—a measure of the vessel's overall internal volume.This information is reported by the vessels on a periodic basis bothwhen in transit and while at port.

In some embodiments, one or more of source systems 102 a-102 n fromwhich air freight information is obtained can be an Instrument FlightRules (IFR) system, a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) system, an AutomaticDependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, an Air Data Linksystem, a system providing information or characteristics (e.g.capacity) of an aircraft, or a system providing scheduling informationfor flights. Such systems require an aircraft to report various types ofinformation including its identification, position, speed, direction,destination, etc.

In some embodiments, one or more of source systems 102 a-102 n canprovide rail freight information. This information can include a numberof cars of a train, a number of carloads, a number of intermodal units,and the number of train departures. In some embodiments, one or more ofsource systems 102 a-102 n can provide information regarding business'sintention to grow such as information describing job offers made by thebusiness.

Sea Freight Capacity Component

The sea freight capacity component can represent the capacity of varioustypes of vessels that are employed for transporting sea freight. The seafreight capacity component therefore provides an indication of theamount of freight that could be transported by sea at a given time. Thisis in contrast to the sea freight volume component that represents theactual quantity of freight that is transported.

The sea freight capacity component can be based on one or more metricsincluding gross tonnage, gross tonnage kilometers, number of departures,and speed. The gross tonnage of a vessel is generally defined as theinternal volume of the vessel. Gross tonnage kilometers is generallydefined as the gross tonnage of a vessel multiplied by the distance (inkilometers) traveled by the vessel. Number of departures generallyrefers to the number of vessels that are/were scheduled to depart withina specified time period (e.g. seven days).

In some embodiments, server system 101 can obtain one or more of thesemetrics via the AIS. For example, server system 101 can query one ormore of source systems 102 a-102 n to obtain one or more of the grosstonnage, gross tonnage kilometers, and speed of various vessels. Serversystem 101 may also obtain the number of departures from such sourcesystems, or may independently calculate the number of departures fromthe information obtained from the source systems (e.g. by determininghow many vessels were at port but are now at sea).

In some embodiments, a specified type or number of vessels can bemonitored and used in the generation of the sea freight capacitycomponent. For example, server system 101 can monitor the above factorsfor vessels that have greater than or equal to 2,000 gross tonnage.Based on this criteria and at the present time, server system maymonitor approximately 20,000 container and cargo vessels, 17,000tankers, and 12,000 bulk carriers on a daily basis.

A number of departures (NOD) factor can be generated by summing thenumber of vessels that have departed over a particular time period. Asstated above, an example rolling time period of seven days (168 hours or10,080 minutes) will be used in this specification. Therefore, the NODfactor at a particular time can define a number of vessels (e.g., thenumber of the approximately 49,000 monitored vessels) that have departedover the seven day period prior to the particular time. In someembodiments, sub-NOD factors can be generated for each type of vessel.For example, a container/cargo vessel NOD factor, a tanker NOD factor,and a bulk carrier NOD factor can be individually generated and thensummed to generate the NOD factor.

A gross tonnage (GT) factor can be generated by summing the grosstonnage of each vessel that has departed over the particular timeperiod. The GT factor therefore represents the sum of the internalvolumes of all monitored vessels that departed during the particulartime period. In some embodiments, sub-GT factors can be generated foreach type of vessel, and then these sub-GT factors can be summed toyield the GT factor.

A gross tonnage kilometers (GTK) factor can be generated by summing thegross tonnage kilometers of each monitored vessel that has departed overthe particular time period. Each vessel's gross tonnage kilometers canbe determined by multiplying the vessel's gross tonnage by the planneddistance to travel (i.e., the distance between its departure locationand its intended destination). As with the other factors, in someembodiments, sub-GTK factors can first be generated for each type ofship and then summed to yield the GTK factor.

A GO/STOP factor can be generated as the ratio of vessels in transitversus the number of vessels in port (or reporting 0 knots). As with theother factors, in some embodiments, sub-GO/STOP factors can first begenerated for each type of ship and then summed to yield the GO/STOPfactor.

A knots (KTS) factor can be generated by averaging the speed of allmonitored vessels that are in transit at a particular time. For example,for a real-time indicator generated for a particular time, the speed ofall monitored vessels that are in transit at that particular time can beaveraged. As with the other factors, in some embodiments, sub-KTSfactors can first be generated for each type of ship and then summed toyield the KTS factor.

The sea freight capacity component can be generated by combining some orall of the NOD factor, the GT factor, the GTK factor, the GO/STOPfactor, and the KTS factor. For example, the sea freight capacitycomponent can be generated by performing an average (including aweighted average) of two or more of the factors or by summing two ormore of the factors.

Sea Freight Volume Component

The sea freight volume component can represent the quantity of freightthat is transported by sea during a particular time period. The seafreight volume component can be derived from information received aboutcontainer vessels. Container vessels transport containers havingstandardized dimensions. A twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) is astandard unit of cargo capacity and volume. The TEU is based on thevolume of a twenty-foot-long container that is easily transferredbetween different modes of transportation including vessels, trains, andtrucks. There are containers of different sizes and configurations(e.g., a forty-foot-long container), but the volume of each containercan be represented using the TEU.

The sea freight volume component can be based on one or more metricsincluding the TEU, a number of shipments, shipment kilometers, anddraft. Number of shipments generally refers to the number of orders forshipment with each order encompassing one or multiple TEUs. Shipmentkilometers generally refers to the distance that a shipment will betransported. Draft (or draught) is generally defined as the verticaldistance between the waterline and the bottom of the vessel's hull.Draft can be used as a measurement of the weight of cargo on a vessel(e.g., by comparing a vessel's draft when unloaded to its draft whenloaded).

As stated above, these metrics can be obtained regarding a number ofcontainer vessels. Server system 101 can query one or more of sourcesystems 102 a-102 n (e.g. systems of sea freight shipment companies) toidentify the number of shipments over a particular duration of time, thedistance of the shipments, and the number of TEUs in each shipment. Insome embodiments, the draft of the vessels carrying the shipments can beobtained from an AIS system.

A TEU factor can be generated by summing the TEUs transported over aparticular duration of time. For example, a total number of TEUs shippedby a number of sea freight shipping companies over a seven day periodcould be summed to generate the TEU factor.

A number of shipments (NOS) factor can be generated by summing thenumber of shipments (or orders) made over a particular duration of time.The NOS factor differs from the TEU factor in that a shipment mayinclude multiple TEUs. The NOS factor when compared to the TEU factorcan therefore provide an indication of the average number of TEUs pershipment.

A shipment kilometers (SHK) factor can be generated by summing thedistance of each shipment. For example, if a shipment of 50 TEUs isbeing or was shipped 5000 kilometers, the shipment kilometers for theshipment would be 5000. The SHK factor can comprise the sum of theshipment kilometers for each shipment.

An EXPORT/IMPORT factor can be generated by calculating the ratio ofexports to imports. The number of exports can be determined based on anumber of departures whereas the number of imports can be determinedbased on a number of arrivals. Because of the substantial time lagbetween the port of loading (export) and the port of discharge (import),the numbers of exports vs. imports can vary drastically for a given timeperiod. The EXPORT/IMPORT factor can therefore represent the momentum ofexports vs. imports within a particular time period. In someembodiments, the time period used for generating the EXPORT/IMPORTfactor may be larger than the time period used for other factors. Forexample, a 28 day time period may be used for the EXPORT/IMPORT factorwhile a 7 day time period may be used for other factors.

A NOS COUNTRIES factor may be generated based on the number of shipmentsthat are exported from and imported to each of a number of countries.For example, a value can be generated for each of 189 countries wherethe value defines the number of imports to the country added to thenumber of exports from the country over a particular time period. Insome embodiments, the value for a particular country may be weightedusing a factor representing the countries share of world gross domesticproduct.

A draft (DR) factor can be generated based on the draft of eachmonitored vessel during a particular period of time. The DR factorprovides a rough estimate of the capacity utilization of all monitoredvessels (i.e. by representing the weight of the vessel's freight). Insome embodiments, the DR factor can be generated by averaging the draftof each vessel.

The sea freight volume component can be generated by combining some orall of the TEU factor, the NOS factor, the SHK factor, the EXPORT/IMPORTfactor, the NOS COUNTRIES factor, and the DR factor. For example, thesea freight volume component can be generated by performing an average(including a weighted average) of two or more of the factors or bysumming two or more of the factors.

Air Freight Capacity Component

The air freight capacity component can represent the movement of cargoand commercial aircraft. The air freight capacity component can be basedon one or more metrics including available freight tonnage, availablefreight tonnage kilometers, and number of departures. Available freighttonnage generally refers to the available capacity of a cargo aircraft.Available freight tonnage kilometers generally refers to the availablefreight tonnage of a cargo aircraft multiplied by the kilometerstraveled (or to be traveled). The metrics used to generate the airfreight capacity component can be obtained from various sourcesincluding an IFR system, a VFR system, an ADS-B system, an Air Data linksystem, various airline systems, etc.

A number of cargo departures (NOD_(cargo)) factor and a number ofcommercial departures (NOD_(commercial)) factor can be generated bydetermining the number of cargo and commercial aircraft respectivelythat departed during a particular time period (e.g., 7 days). Commercialdepartures encompass departures of both cargo aircraft and passengeraircraft, and therefore, the number of cargo departures is a subset ofthe number of commercial departures.

An available freight tonnage (AFT) factor can be generated by summingthe available capacity of all monitored cargo aircraft that departedduring the particular time period. Similarly, an available freighttonnage kilometers (AFTK) factor can be generated by summing theavailable freight tonnage kilometers of all monitored cargo aircraftthat departed during the particular time period.

A number of scheduled commercial departures (NOD SCHEDULED_(commercial))factor and a number of scheduled cargo departures (NODSCHEDULED_(cargo)) factor can be generated by determining the number ofcommercial and cargo departures respectively that are scheduled over anupcoming period of time (e.g., the next seven days).

An aircraft very short term plan (VSTP_(aircraft)) factor can begenerated as the ratio of the number of cargo departures that actuallyoccurred during a particular time period (e.g. the past 7 days) to thenumber of cargo departures that were scheduled during the same timeperiod.

The air freight capacity component can be generated by combining some orall of the NOD_(cargo), NOD_(commercial), AFT, AFTK, NODSCHEDULED_(commercial), NOD SCHEDULED_(cargo), and VSTP_(aircraft)factors. For example, the air freight capacity component can begenerated by performing an average (including a weighted average) of twoor more of the factors or by summing two or more of the factors.

Air Freight Volume Component

The air freight volume component can represent the quantity of freightthat is transported by air during a particular time period. The airfreight volume component can be generated based on one or more metricsincluding a number of shipments, chargeable weight, and chargeableweight kilometers. Number of shipments, as with sea freight, refers tothe number of orders for shipment. Chargeable weight is a unit ofmeasurement that defines how much will be charged to ship freight. Thechargeable weight is typically determined based on the greater of thedimensional and actual weight of the freight. Chargeable weightkilometers generally refers to the chargeable weight of freightmultiplied by the distance the freight is or will be shipped.

A chargeable weight (CW) factor can be generated by summing thechargeable weight of the freight on all monitored cargo aircraft over aparticular time period. A chargeable weight kilometers (CWK) factor canbe generated by summing the chargeable weight kilometers of eachmonitored cargo aircraft over the particular time period.

A number of shipments (NOS_(cargo)) factor can be generated by summingthe number of shipments by all monitored cargo aircraft over theparticular time period. A NOS_(cargo) COUNTRIES factor can be generatedbased on the number of shipments that are exported from and imported toeach of a number of countries. For example, a value can be generated foreach of 189 countries where the value defines the number of imports tothe country added to the number of exports from the country over aparticular time period. In some embodiments, the value for a particularcountry may be weighted using a factor representing the countries shareof world gross domestic product.

The air freight volume component can be generated by combining some orall of the CW factor, the CWK factor, the NOS_(cargo) factor, and theNOS_(cargo) COUNTRIES factor. For example, the air freight volumecomponent can be generated by performing an average (including aweighted average) of two or more of the factors or by summing two ormore of the factors.

Rail Freight Capacity Component

The rail freight capacity component can represent the movement of trainsincluding the number of cars in the trains. The rail freight capacitycomponent can be generated based on one or more metrics including thenumber of cars and the number of departures.

A CARS factor can be generated by summing the number of cars in eachmonitored train over a particular time period. A number of departures(NOD_(trains)) component can be generated by determining a number oftrains that departed during the particular time period.

A VSTP_(trains) factor can be generated as the ratio of the number oftrain departures that actually occurred during a particular time period(e.g. the past 7 days) to the number of train departures that werescheduled during the same time period.

The rail freight capacity component can be generated by combining someor all of the CARS, NOD_(train), and VSTP_(trains) factors. For example,the rail freight capacity component can be generated by performing anaverage (including a weighted average) of two or more of the factors orby summing two or more of the factors.

Rail Freight Volume Component

The rail freight volume component represents the quantity of freightthat is transported via rail during a particular time period. The railfreight volume component can be based on one or more metrics including anumber of carloads and intermodal units.

A CARLOADS factor can be generated by summing the number of carloadstransported by monitored trains during a particular time period. AnINTERMODAL UNITS factor can be generated by summing the number ofintermodal units transported by monitored trains during the particulartime period.

The rail freight volume component can be generated by combining one orboth of the CARLOADS and INTERMODAL UNITS. For example, the rail freightvolume component can be generated by performing an average (including aweighted average) of the factors or by summing the factors.

Economic Sentiment Component

The economic sentiment component represents whether companies intend toexpand, stabilize or contract business. The economic sentiment componentcan be generated by monitoring selected websites to identify indicationsof a company's intentions. For example, a company may publish a numberof job offers or another indication of a desire to grow. The economicsentiment component can therefore comprise a value that represents thenumber of companies that have indicated an intention to grow.

In some embodiments, the economic sentiment can be based on an averageof the number of job offers over a period of time. For example, after anaverage number of job offers has been determined, a current number ofjob offers can be determined and compared to the average. The economicsentiment component can be based on the variance of the current numberof job offers to the average.

In some embodiments, the economic sentiment component can be based onsub-components for each monitored country. In such cases, eachsub-component can be weighted based on the corresponding country's shareof the world GDP and then summed.

Real-Time Indicator

Server system 101 can generate a real-time indicator based on acombination of one or more of the above components. In some embodiments,a real-time indicator can be generated as the average of each of theabove components. In some embodiments, each component may be weighted.For example, the sea freight capacity and volume components may beweighted more heavily than the other components since sea freightcomprises a larger percentage of global freight transportation.

In some embodiments, a real-time indicator for each of a plurality ofcountries may be generated. Because the capacity components are notattributable to a single country, only the volume components and theeconomic sentiment component may be used to generate a country specificreal-time indicator. For example, a real-time indicator for the UnitedStates may comprise the average of the sea, air, and rail freight volumecomponents corresponding to the United States and an economic sentimentcomponent representing job offers in the United States.

In some embodiments, to provide a better representation of the currenteconomic status, the components used to generate the real-time indicatoras well as the real-time indicator itself can be compared to a long-termtrend. For example, long-term trend values can be established for eachcomponent and for the real-time indicator. Then, when new values aregenerated for the components and real-time indicator, these new valuescan be compared to the long-term trend. The components and real-timeindicator can then be represented as deviations from the long-termtrend. Using this approach, a positive value of a component or of thereal-time indicator can represent positive growth above the long-termtrend. In contrast, a zero or negative value can represent no growth orgrowth below the long-term trend respectively.

FIG. 2 provides a flowchart of an example method 200 for generating areal-time indicator of global trade. FIG. 2 will be described withreference to FIG. 1.

Method 200 includes an act 201 of receiving, by a computing system, oneor more capacity metrics representing freight capacity for a first typeof freight during a first time period. For example, server system 101can receive one or more capacity metrics from one or more of sourcesystems 102 a-102 n. The capacity metrics may define freight capacityfor sea freight, air freight, or rail freight.

Method 200 includes an act 202 of receiving, by the computing system,one or more volume metrics representing freight volume for the firsttype of freight during the first time period. For example, server system101 can receive one or more volume metrics from one or more of sourcesystems 102 a-102 n. The volume metrics may define freight volume forsea freight, air freight, or rail freight.

Method 200 includes an act 203 of generating, by the computing system, afirst capacity component based on the one or more capacity metrics. Forexample, server system 101 can generate a first capacity component basedon the one or more capacity metrics received from source systems 102a-102 n.

Method 200 includes an act 204 of generating, by the computing system, afirst volume component based on the one or more volume metrics. Forexample, server system 101 can generate a first volume component basedon the one or more volume metrics received from source systems 102 a-102n.

Method 200 includes an act 205 of combining, by the computing system,the first capacity component and the first volume component to generatethe real-time indicator of global trade. For example, server system 101can combine the first capacity component and the first volume componentto generate a real-time indicator of global trade.

Method 200 includes an act 206 of transmitting, by the computing system,the real-time indicator of global trade to another computing system. Forexample, server system 101 can transmit the generated real-timeindicator of global trade to another computing system.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What is claimed:
 1. A method, performed by a computing system that isinterfaced with one or more remote source systems, for generating areal-time indicator of global trade based on a plurality of metrics thatare generated from tracking information retrieved from the sourcesystems over a period of time, the method comprising: establishing andmaintaining a first interface with one or more Automatic IdentificationSystems that communicate with sea vessels in real-time to obtain, fromthe sea vessels, sea vessel tracking information; periodically queryingthe one or more Automatic Identification Systems via the first interfaceto retrieve current sea vessel tracking information about a plurality ofsea vessels that are currently transporting sea freight, the current seavessel tracking information including, for each of the plurality of seavessels that are currently transporting sea freight, at least two of: anidentifier of the sea vessel, a type of the sea vessel, a position ofthe sea vessel, a course of the sea vessel, a speed of the sea vessel, adestination of the sea vessel, an estimated time of arrival of the seavessel, a draft of the sea vessel and a gross tonnage of the sea vessel;storing the current sea vessel tracking information that is retrievedover a first period of time; extracting and calculating, from thecurrent sea vessel tracking information sea freight capacity metricsrepresenting freight capacity of the plurality of sea vessels during thefirst time period, the sea freight capacity metrics including at leasttwo of: gross tonnage, gross tonnage kilometers, number of departures,and speed for the plurality of sea vessels during the first time period,such that the computing system uses the current sea vessel trackinginformation, not to track the plurality of sea vessels, but to calculatethe sea freight capacity metrics; extracting and calculating, from thecurrent sea vessel tracking information, sea freight volume metricsrepresenting freight volume for the plurality of sea vessels during thefirst time period, the sea freight volume metrics including at least twoof: twenty-foot units, number of shipments, shipment kilometers, anddraft for the plurality of sea vessels during the first time period,such that the computing system uses the current sea vessel trackinginformation, not to track the plurality of sea vessels, but to calculatethe sea freight volume metrics; performing, by the computing system, oneor more calculations on the sea freight capacity metrics to generate asea freight capacity component based on the sea freight capacitymetrics; performing by the computing system, one or more calculations onthe sea freight volume metrics to generate a sea freight volumecomponent based on the sea freight volume metrics; generating thereal-time indicator of global trade as macroeconomic data thatrepresents a current global economic state by combining, via thecomputing system, the sea freight capacity component and the sea freightvolume component; and transmitting, by the computing system, thereal-time indicator of global trade to another computing system tothereby cause the real-time indicator to be displayed as a visualindicator that represents the current global economic state.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein generating the sea freight capacity componentcomprises: generating one or more of the following factors based on thesea freight capacity metrics: a number of departures (NOD) factorrepresenting the number of departures of sea vessels during the firsttime period; a gross tonnage (GT) factor representing the gross tonnageof each sea vessel that departed during the first time period; a grosstonnage kilometers (GTK) based on the GT; a GO/STOP factor representinga ratio of sea vessels in transit during the first time period to seavessels in port or reporting zero knots during the first time period; ora knots (KTS) factor representing the average speed of each sea vesselthat was in transit during the first time period; and generating the seafreight capacity component by combining one or more of the factors. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein generating the sea freight volumecomponent comprises: generating one or more of the following factorsbased on the sea freight volume metrics: a twenty-foot equivalent unit(TEU) factor representing a number of TEUs transported during the firsttime period; a number of shipments (NOS) factor representing a number ofshipments made during the first time period; a shipment kilometers (SHK)factor representing the distance of each shipment made during the firsttime period; an EXPORT/IMPORT factor representing a ratio of exports toimports during the first time period; a NOS COUNTRIES factorrepresenting a number of shipments that are exported from and importedto each of a number of countries during the first time period; or adraft (DR) factor representing a draft of each sea vessel that departedduring the first time period; and generating the sea freight volumecomponent by combining one or more of the factors.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: establishing and maintaining a secondinterface with one or more aircraft tracking systems that communicatewith aircraft in real-time to obtain, from the aircraft, aircrafttracking information; periodically querying the one or more aircrafttracking systems via the second interface to retrieve current aircrafttracking information about a plurality of aircraft that are currentlytransporting air freight, the current aircraft tracking informationincluding, for each of the plurality of aircraft, at least two of: anidentification of the aircraft, a position of the aircraft, a speed ofthe aircraft, a direction of the aircraft, a destination of theaircraft, a freight capacity of the aircraft and a chargeable weight offreight carried by the aircraft; storing the current aircraft trackinginformation that is retrieved over the first period of time; extractingand calculating, from the current aircraft tracking information, airfreight capacity metrics representing freight capacity of the pluralityof aircraft during the first time period, the air freight capacitymetrics including at least two of: available freight tonnage, availablefreight tonnage kilometers, and a number of departures; extracting andcalculating, from the current aircraft tracking information, air freightvolume metrics representing freight volume of the plurality of aircraftduring the first time period, the air freight volume metrics includingat least two of: a number of shipments, chargeable weight, andchargeable weight kilometers; performing, by the computing system, oneor more calculations on the air freight capacity metrics to generate anair freight capacity component based on the air freight capacitymetrics; and performing, by the computing system, one or morecalculations on the air freight volume metrics to generate an airfreight volume component based on the air freight volume metrics;wherein the real-time indicator of global trade is generated bycombining the sea freight capacity component, the sea freight volumecomponent, the air freight capacity component, and the air freightvolume component such that the computing system uses the current seavessel tracking information and the current aircraft trackinginformation, not to track the plurality of sea vessels or the pluralityof aircraft, but to generate the real-time indicator of global trade asmacroeconomic data that represents the current global economic state. 5.The method of claim 4, wherein generating the air freight capacitycomponent comprises: generating one or more of the following factorsbased on the air freight capacity metrics: a number of cargo departures(NODcargo) factor representing the number of cargo aircraft thatdeparted during the first time period; a number of commercial departures(NODcommercial) factor representing a number of commercial aircraft thatdeparted during the first time period; an available freight tonnage(AFT) factor representing an available capacity of a number of monitoredcargo aircraft that departed during the first time period; an availablefreight tonnage kilometers (AFTK) factor based on the AFT; a number ofscheduled commercial departures (NOD SCHEDULEDcommercial) factorrepresenting a number of commercial departures that are scheduled duringa subsequent time period; a number of scheduled cargo departures (NODSCHEDULEDcargo) factor representing a number of cargo departures thatare scheduled during the subsequent time period; or an aircraft veryshort term plan (VSTPaircraft) factor representing a ratio of a numberof cargo departures during the first time period to a number of cargodepartures that were scheduled during the first time period; andgenerating the air freight capacity component by combining one or moreof the factors.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the airfreight volume component comprises: generating one or more of thefollowing factors based on the air freight capacity metrics: achargeable weight (CW) factor representing a chargeable weight offreight on a number of monitored cargo aircraft during the first timeperiod; a chargeable weight kilometers (CWK) factor based on the CW; anumber of shipments (NOScargo) factor representing the number ofshipments made by monitored cargo aircraft during the first time period;or a NOScargo COUNTRIES factor representing a number of shipments thatare exported from and imported to each of a number of countries duringthe first time period; and generating the air freight volume componentby combining one or more of the factors.
 7. The method of claim 4,wherein combining the sea freight capacity component, the sea freightvolume component, the air freight capacity component, and the airfreight volume component comprises performing a weighted average of thecomponents, wherein the sea freight capacity and volume components areweighted more heavily than the air freight capacity and volumecomponents.
 8. The method of 4, further comprising: establishing andmaintaining a third interface with one or more rail tracking systemsthat obtain train tracking information; periodically querying the one ormore rail tracking systems via the third interface to retrieve currenttrain tracking information about a plurality of trains that arecurrently transporting rail freight, the current train trackinginformation including for each of the plurality of trains, at least twoof: a number of cars of the train, a number of carloads of the train,and a number of intermodal units of the train; storing the current traintracking information that is retrieved over the first period of time;extracting and calculating, from the current train tracking information,rail freight capacity metrics representing freight capacity of theplurality of trains during the first time period, the rail freightcapacity metrics including a number of cars and a number of departures;extracting and calculating, from the current train tracking information,rail freight volume metrics representing freight volume for theplurality of trains during the first time period, the rail freightvolume metrics including a number of carloads and a number of intermodalunits; performing, by the computing system, one or more calculations onthe rail freight capacity metrics to generate a rail freight capacitycomponent based on the rail freight capacity metrics; and performing bythe computing system, one or more calculations on the air freight volumemetrics to generate a rail freight volume component based on the railfreight volume metrics; wherein the real-time indicator of global tradeis generated by combining the sea freight capacity component, the seafreight volume component, the air freight capacity component, the airfreight volume component, the rail freight capacity component, and therail freight volume component such that the computing system uses thecurrent sea vessel tracking information, the current aircraft trackinginformation and the current train tracking information, not to track theplurality of sea vessels, the plurality of aircraft or the plurality oftrains, but to generate the real-time indicator of global trade asmacroeconomic data that represents the current global economic state. 9.The method of claim 4, further comprising: generating, by the computingsystem, an economic sentiment component based on information obtainedfrom websites of a plurality of companies indicating the companies'intentions to expand, stabilize, or restrict growth; and wherein thereal-time indicator of global trade is generated by combining the seafreight capacity component, the sea freight volume component, the airfreight capacity component, the air freight volume component, and theeconomic sentiment component.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst time period comprises a rolling time period.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein generating the sea freight capacity componentcomprises: generating each of the following factors based on the seafreight capacity metrics: a number of departures (NOD) factorrepresenting the number of departures of sea vessels during the firsttime period; a gross tonnage (GT) factor representing the gross tonnageof each sea vessel that departed during the first time period; a grosstonnage kilometers (GTK) based on the GT; a GO/STOP factor representinga ratio of sea vessels in transit during the first time period to seavessels in port or reporting zero knots during the first time period;and a knots (KTS) factor representing the average speed of each seavessel that was in transit during the first time period; and generatingthe sea freight capacity component by combining each of the factors. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein generating the sea freight volumecomponent comprises: generating each of the following factors based onthe sea freight volume metrics: a twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU)factor representing a number of TEUs transported during the first timeperiod; a number of shipments (NOS) factor representing a number ofshipments made during the first time period; a shipment kilometers (SHK)factor representing the distance of each shipment made during the firsttime period; an EXPORT/IMPORT factor representing a ratio of exports toimports during the first time period; a NOS COUNTRIES factorrepresenting a number of shipments that are exported from and importedto each of a number of countries during the first time period; and adraft (DR) factor representing a draft of each vessel that departedduring the first time period; and generating the sea freight volumecomponent by combining each of the factors.
 13. The method of claim 4,wherein generating the air freight capacity component comprises:generating each of the following factors based on the air freightcapacity metrics: a number of cargo departures (NODcargo) factorrepresenting the number of cargo aircraft that departed during the firsttime period; a number of commercial departures (NODcommercial) factorrepresenting a number of commercial aircraft that departed during thefirst time period; an available freight tonnage (AFT) factorrepresenting an available capacity of a number of monitored cargoaircraft that departed during the first time period; an availablefreight tonnage kilometers (AFTK) factor based on the AFT; a number ofscheduled commercial departures (NOD SCHEDULEDcommercial) factorrepresenting a number of commercial departures that are scheduled duringa subsequent time period; a number of scheduled cargo departures (NODSCHEDULEDcargo) factor representing a number of cargo departures thatare scheduled during the subsequent time period; and an aircraft veryshort term plan (VSTPaircraft) factor representing a ratio of a numberof cargo departures during the first time period to a number of cargodepartures that were scheduled during the first time period; andgenerating the air freight capacity component by combining one or moreof the factors.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the airfreight volume component comprises: generating each of the followingfactors based on the air freight capacity metrics: a chargeable weight(CW) factor representing a chargeable weight of freight on a number ofmonitored cargo aircraft during the first time period; a chargeableweight kilometers (CWK) factor based on the CW; a number of shipments(NOScargo) factor representing the number of shipments made by monitoredcargo aircraft during the first time period; and a NOScargo COUNTRIESfactor representing a number of shipments that are exported from andimported to each of a number of countries during the first time period;and generating the air freight volume component by combining one or moreof the factors.
 15. A method, performed by a computing system that isinterfaced with remote source systems, for generating a real-timeindicator of global trade based on a plurality of metrics that aregenerated from tracking information retrieved from the source systemsover a period of time, the method comprising: establishing andmaintaining a first interface with one or more Automatic IdentificationSystems that communicate with sea vessels in real-time to obtain, fromthe sea vessels, sea vessel tracking information; establishing andmaintaining a second interface with one or more aircraft trackingsystems that communicate in real-time with aircraft to obtain, from theaircraft, tracking information about the aircraft; periodically queryingthe one or more Automatic Identification Systems via the first interfaceto retrieve current sea vessel tracking information about a plurality ofsea vessels that are currently transporting sea freight, the current seavessel tracking information including, for each of the plurality of seavessels that are currently transporting sea freight, at least two of: anidentifier of the sea vessel, a type of the sea vessel, a position ofthe sea vessel, a course of the sea vessel, a speed of the sea vessel, adestination of the sea vessel, an estimated time of arrival of the seavessel, a draft of the sea vessel and a gross tonnage of the sea vessel;periodically querying the one or more aircraft tracking systems via thesecond interface to retrieve current aircraft tracking information abouta plurality of aircraft that are currently transporting air freight, thecurrent aircraft tracking information including, for each of theplurality of aircraft, at least two of: an identification of theaircraft, a position of the aircraft, a speed of the aircraft, adirection of the aircraft, a destination of the aircraft, a freightcapacity of the aircraft and a chargeable weight of freight carried bythe aircraft; storing the current sea vessel tracking information thatis retrieved over a first period of time; storing the current aircrafttracking information that is retrieved over the first period of time;extracting and calculating, from the current sea vessel trackinginformation, sea freight capacity metrics representing freight capacityof the plurality of sea vessels during the first time period, the seafreight capacity metrics including one or more of: gross tonnage, grosstonnage kilometers, number of departures, or speed for the plurality ofsea vessels during the first time period, such that the computing systemuses the current sea vessel tracking information, not to track theplurality of sea vessels, but to calculate the sea freight capacitymetrics; extracting and calculating, from the current sea vesseltracking information, sea freight volume metrics representing freightvolume for the plurality of sea vessels during the first time period,the sea freight volume metrics including one or more of: twenty-footunits, number of shipments, shipment kilometers, or draft for theplurality of sea vessels during the first time period, such that thecomputing system uses the current sea vessel tracking information, notto track the plurality of sea vessels, but to calculate the sea freightvolume metrics; generating, by the computing system, a sea freightcapacity component by generating and combining two or more of thefollowing factors based on the sea freight capacity metrics: a number ofdepartures (NOD) factor representing the number of departures of seavessels during the first time period; a gross tonnage (GT) factorrepresenting the gross tonnage of each sea vessel that departed duringthe first time period; a gross tonnage kilometers (GTK) based on the GT;a GO/STOP factor representing a ratio of sea vessels in transit duringthe first time period to vessels in port or reporting zero knots duringthe first time period; or a knots (KTS) factor representing the averagespeed of each sea vessel that was in transit during the first timeperiod; generating, by the computing system, a sea freight volumecomponent by generating and combining two or more of the followingfactors based on the sea freight volume metrics: a twenty-footequivalent unit (TEU) factor representing a number of TEUs transportedduring the first time period; a number of shipments (NOS) factorrepresenting a number of shipments made during the first time period; ashipment kilometers (SHK) factor representing the distance of eachshipment made during the first time period; an EXPORT/IMPORT factorrepresenting a ratio of exports to imports during the first time period;a NOS COUNTRIES factor representing a number of shipments that areexported from and imported to each of a number of countries during thefirst time period; or a draft (DR) factor representing a draft of eachvessel that departed during the first time period; extracting andcalculating, from the current aircraft tracking information, air freightcapacity metrics representing freight capacity of the plurality ofaircraft during the first time period, the air freight capacity metricsincluding one or more of: available freight tonnage, available freighttonnage kilometers, or a number of departures; extracting andcalculating, from the current aircraft tracking information, air freightvolume metrics representing freight volume of the plurality of aircraftduring the first time period, the air freight volume metrics includingone or more of: a number of shipments, chargeable weight, or chargeableweight kilometers; generating, by the computing system, an air freightcapacity component by generating and combining two or more of thefollowing factors based on the air freight capacity metrics: a number ofcargo departures (NODcargo) factor representing the number of cargoaircraft that departed during the first time period; a number ofcommercial departures (NODcommercial) factor representing a number ofcommercial aircraft that departed during the first time period; anavailable freight tonnage (AFT) factor representing an availablecapacity of a number of monitored cargo aircraft that departed duringthe first time period; an available freight tonnage kilometers (AFTK)factor based on the AFT; a number of scheduled commercial departures(NOD SCHEDULEDcommercial) factor representing a number of commercialdepartures that are scheduled during a subsequent time period; a numberof scheduled cargo departures (NOD SCHEDULEDcargo) factor representing anumber of cargo departures that are scheduled during the subsequent timeperiod; or an aircraft very short term plan (VSTPaircraft) factorrepresenting a ratio of a number of cargo departures during the firsttime period to a number of cargo departures that were scheduled duringthe first time period; and generating, by the computing system, an airfreight volume component by generating and combining two or more of thefollowing factors based on the air freight volume metrics: a chargeableweight (CW) factor representing a chargeable weight of freight on anumber of monitored cargo aircraft during the first time period; achargeable weight kilometers (CWK) factor based on the CW; a number ofshipments (NOScargo) factor representing the number of shipments made bymonitored cargo aircraft during the first time period; or a NOScargoCOUNTRIES factor representing a number of shipments that are exportedfrom and imported to each of a number of countries during the first timeperiod; generating the real-time indicator of global trade asmacroeconomic data that represents a current global economic state bycombining, via the computing system, the sea freight capacity component,the sea freight volume component, the air freight capacity component andthe air freight volume component; and transmitting, by the computingsystem, the real-time indicator of global trade to another computingsystem to thereby cause the real-time indicator to be displayed as avisual indicator of global trade that represents the current globaleconomic state.
 16. The method of 15, further comprising: establishingand maintaining a third interface with one or more rail tracking systemsthat obtain train tracking information; periodically querying the one ormore rail tracking systems via the third interface to retrieve currenttrain tracking information about a plurality of trains that arecurrently transporting rail freight, the current train trackinginformation including for each of the plurality of trains, one or moreof: a number of cars of the train, a number of carloads of the train, ora number of intermodal units of the train; storing the current traintracking information that is retrieved over the first period of time;extracting and calculating, from the current train tracking information,rail freight capacity metrics representing freight capacity of theplurality of trains during the first time period, the rail freightcapacity metrics including a number of cars and a number of departures;extracting and calculating, from the current train tracking information,rail freight volume metrics representing freight volume for theplurality of trains during the first time period, the rail freightvolume metrics including a number of carloads and a number of intermodalunits; performing, by the computing system, one or more calculations onthe rail freight capacity metrics to generate a rail freight capacitycomponent based on the rail freight capacity metrics; and performing, bythe computing system, one or more calculations on the air freight volumemetrics to generate a rail freight volume component based on the railfreight volume metrics; wherein the real-time indicator of global tradeis generated by combining the sea freight capacity component, the seafreight volume component, the air freight capacity component, the airfreight volume component, the rail freight capacity component, and therail freight volume component such that the computing system uses thecurrent sea vessel tracking information, the current aircraft trackinginformation and the current train tracking information, not to track theplurality of sea vessels, the plurality of aircraft or the plurality oftrains, but to generate the real-time indicator of global trade asmacroeconomic data that represents the current global economic state.17. A method, performed by a computing system that is interfaced withremote source systems, for generating a real-time indicator of globaltrade based on a plurality of metrics that are generated from trackinginformation retrieved from the source systems over a period of time, themethod comprising: establishing and maintaining a first interface withone or more Automatic Identification Systems that communicate with seavessels in real-time to obtain, from the sea vessels, sea vesseltracking information; establishing and maintaining a second interfacewith one or more aircraft tracking systems that communicate in real-timewith aircraft to obtain, from the aircraft, tracking information aboutthe aircraft; periodically querying the one or more AutomaticIdentification Systems via the first interface to retrieve current seavessel tracking information about a plurality of sea vessels that arecurrently transporting sea freight, the current sea vessel trackinginformation including, for each of the plurality of sea vessels that arecurrently transporting sea freight, at least two of: an identifier ofthe sea vessel, a type of the sea vessel, a position of the sea vessel,a course of the sea vessel, a speed of the sea vessel, a destination ofthe sea vessel, an estimated time of arrival of the sea vessel, a draftof the sea vessel and a gross tonnage of the sea vessel; periodicallyquerying the one or more aircraft tracking systems via the secondinterface to retrieve current aircraft tracking information about aplurality of aircraft that are currently transporting air freight, thecurrent aircraft tracking information including, for each of theplurality of aircraft, at least two of: an identification of theaircraft, a position of the aircraft, a speed of the aircraft, adirection of the aircraft, a destination of the aircraft, a freightcapacity of the aircraft and a chargeable weight of freight carried bythe aircraft; storing the current sea vessel tracking information thatis retrieved over a first period of time; storing the current aircrafttracking information that is retrieved over the first period of time;extracting and calculating, from the current sea vessel trackinginformation, sea freight capacity metrics representing freight capacityof the plurality of sea vessels during the first time period, the seafreight capacity metrics including gross tonnage, gross tonnagekilometers, number of departures, and speed for the plurality of seavessels during the first time period, such that the computing systemuses the current sea vessel tracking information, not to track theplurality of sea vessels, but to calculate the sea freight capacitymetrics; extracting and calculating, from the current sea vesseltracking information, sea freight volume metrics representing freightvolume for the plurality of sea vessels during the first time period,the sea freight volume metrics including twenty-foot units, number ofshipments, shipment kilometers, and draft for the plurality of seavessels during the first time period, such that the computing systemuses the current sea vessel tracking information, not to track theplurality of sea vessels, but to calculate the sea freight volumemetrics; generating, by the computing system, a sea freight capacitycomponent by generating and combining each of the following factorsbased on the sea freight capacity metrics: a number of departures (NOD)factor representing the number of departures of sea vessels during thefirst time period; a gross tonnage (GT) factor representing the grosstonnage of each sea vessel that departed during the first time period; agross tonnage kilometers (GTK) based on the GT; a GO/STOP factorrepresenting a ratio of sea vessels in transit during the first timeperiod to vessels in port or reporting zero knots during the first timeperiod; or a knots (KTS) factor representing the average speed of eachsea vessel that was in transit during the first time period; generating,by the computing system, a sea freight volume component by generatingand combining each of the following factors based on the sea freightvolume metrics: a twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) factor representinga number of TEUs transported during the first time period; a number ofshipments (NOS) factor representing a number of shipments made duringthe first time period; a shipment kilometers (SHK) factor representingthe distance of each shipment made during the first time period; anEXPORT/IMPORT factor representing a ratio of exports to imports duringthe first time period; a NOS COUNTRIES factor representing a number ofshipments that are exported from and imported to each of a number ofcountries during the first time period; and a draft (DR) factorrepresenting a draft of each vessel that departed during the first timeperiod; extracting and calculating, from the current aircraft trackinginformation, air freight capacity metrics representing freight capacityof the plurality of aircraft during the first time period, the airfreight capacity metrics including available freight tonnage, availablefreight tonnage kilometers, and a number of departures; extracting andcalculating, from the current aircraft tracking information, air freightvolume metrics representing freight volume of the plurality of aircraftduring the first time period, the air freight volume metrics including anumber of shipments, chargeable weight, and chargeable weightkilometers; generating, by the computing system, an air freight capacitycomponent by generating and combining each of the following factorsbased on the air freight capacity metrics: a number of cargo departures(NODcargo) factor representing the number of cargo aircraft thatdeparted during the first time period; a number of commercial departures(NODcommercial) factor representing a number of commercial aircraft thatdeparted during the first time period; an available freight tonnage(AFT) factor representing an available capacity of a number of monitoredcargo aircraft that departed during the first time period; an availablefreight tonnage kilometers (AFTK) factor based on the AFT; a number ofscheduled commercial departures (NOD SCHEDULEDcommercial) factorrepresenting a number of commercial departures that are scheduled duringa subsequent time period; a number of scheduled cargo departures (NODSCHEDULEDcargo) factor representing a number of cargo departures thatare scheduled during the subsequent time period; and an aircraft veryshort term plan (VSTPaircraft) factor representing a ratio of a numberof cargo departures during the first time period to a number of cargodepartures that were scheduled during the first time period; andgenerating, by the computing system, an air freight volume component bygenerating and combining each of the following factors based on the airfreight volume metrics: a chargeable weight (CW) factor representing achargeable weight of freight on a number of monitored cargo aircraftduring the first time period; a chargeable weight kilometers (CWK)factor based on the CW; a number of shipments (NOScargo) factorrepresenting the number of shipments made by monitored cargo aircraftduring the first time period; or a NOScargo COUNTRIES factorrepresenting a number of shipments that are exported from and importedto each of a number of countries during the first time period;generating the real-time indicator of global trade as macroeconomic datathat represents a current global economic state by combining, via thecomputing system, the sea freight capacity component, the sea freightvolume component, the air freight capacity component and the air freightvolume component; and transmitting, by the computing system, thereal-time indicator of global trade to another computing system tothereby cause the real-time indicator to be displayed as a visualindicator that represents the current global economic state.